Chapter 4

Thanks to Leo, I was able to get an unexpected meal.

With my stomach full, I thought it was time to leave this forest.

"Leo, how do we get out of this forest?"

"Woof? Woof."

It’s not that I rely on Leo in times of trouble, but since Leo has been so helpful today, I can’t help but have some hope.

But it seems he doesn’t know either, as Leo just tilts his head.

"…Hmm, there’s a river, so maybe we should follow it?"

"Woof."

If there’s a river, we won’t have to worry about drinking water.

The leftover orc meat… since I don’t have a bag, I’ll skewer a few pieces and cook them, then take as much as I can carry.

After finishing the preparations, I put out the fire with river water to prevent a fire, and started walking along the river.

The water is flowing, so it must be downhill, but it’s so gentle that I don’t even feel like I’m walking downhill.

Probably, this is just a forest, not a mountain.

Getting lost in a mountain might be more dangerous… maybe.

"Woof woof."

Leo, walking beside me, seems to be in a good mood.

Is it because he’s full?

"Leo, you’ve gotten stronger, haven’t you?"

"Woof!"

I praise him, remembering how he took down the orc and the way he moved to tear it apart.

Leo’s face, when he turned to me, looked proud.

When I found him, he was just trembling in fear.

But now, encountering strange creatures in an unknown place, having Leo by my side makes me feel strong.

Thinking about it, I’ve been with Leo since I found him, and I’ve never felt lonely.

I thought I was helping Leo, but I was also being helped… by him.

"Thanks, Leo. I’ve said it many times, but I really appreciate it."

"Woof? Woof."

After tilting his head, Leo barked, which seemed to say, "It’s mutual."

Walking with Leo in a warm atmosphere, I suddenly noticed something about the trees around us.

"The trees in this forest… I’ve never seen them before…"

"Woof?"

I’m not an expert on trees, but I’ve seen a few in Japan.

However, the trees in this forest look different from any I’ve seen in Japan.

It’s not that they look strange, but the shape of the leaves and the length of the branches seem different.

Well, I don’t know many types of trees, so maybe I just haven’t seen them before…

"There’s no way this isn’t Japan, right?"

"Woof!"

I think I’m making a silly joke to myself.

There’s no way I’d wake up in a place that isn’t Japan.

But then again, it’s strange that I woke up in a forest after sleeping in my room.

Leo’s bark seemed to agree, but I ignored it.

Maybe I’m just avoiding reality…

"…!"

"Huh?"

I thought I heard something.

"…Help! …Help!"

"!"

It’s a human voice!

I can hear someone screaming for help from where I’m walking!

"Let’s go, Leo!"

"Woof!"

If it’s a real person, maybe I can ask for directions.

With that thought, I ran with Leo towards the source of the voice.

…Even though I’m running at full speed, Leo is keeping up with me as if he’s just walking.

He’s amazing…

By the way, I threw away the pork (skewers?) I was holding before I started running.

Since I can hear a human voice, I don’t need to worry about food right now… my dinner…

"Someone! Help me!"

It’s a woman’s voice, calling for help.

As I get closer, her voice becomes clearer.

But what could have happened to her to be calling for help in a place like this?

Maybe she’s lost, like me?

If that’s the case, I can’t ask for directions…

Regardless, I hurried to where the voice was coming from.

"Ha… ha… ha…"

"Woof"

As I run, I start to run out of breath, but Leo is keeping up with ease.

Maybe I’m out of shape…

"Someone…!"

"…Is that…"

As I get closer to the voice, I see the back of the orc that Leo took down earlier.

Beyond the orc, I see a woman sitting on the ground, calling for help.

…Blonde hair?

She has beautiful, long blonde hair, which is not common in Japan.

She’s so beautiful that most men would probably turn around if they saw her on the street.

"…Ha… ha… ha… Are you okay?"

"…Huh… Yes. …I’m… okay."

The woman, who looks to be in her early twenties, has a beautiful face that matches her beautiful blonde hair.

She’s so beautiful that I can’t help but stare.

I hope she doesn’t think I’m a weirdo.

Leo doesn’t look at me with a disappointed expression.

"Thank you for saving me. Is the silver Fenrir that took down the orc your familiar?"

"…Silver Fenrir? Familiar?"

"Woof?"

Why is she calling Leo a silver Fenrir… he’s a Maltese, even though he looks nothing like one now.

Leo is also tilting his head.

Fenrir… isn’t that a wolf monster from games?

And what’s a familiar?

"…What’s a familiar?"

"Huh? A familiar is a creature that you control and use… you know."

Monster… monster…

Was I playing a game before I went to sleep…?

"What’s a monster?"

"…Huh, you don’t know what a monster is!?"

The woman looked very surprised.

Is it that surprising?

Do people usually know about monsters?

I feel like my sense of normalcy is breaking down…

"I’m sorry, I don’t know much… Could you please explain?"

"…Ha… Well, monsters are creatures that appear out of nowhere. No one knows why, but they appear and can cause outbreaks if left alone. The orc we just saw, for example, attacks people indiscriminately, so it’s important to avoid them in this area."

"Monsters that attack people…"

"Woof?"

Thank you to everyone who has read this.

I also have other works that are being serialized. You can find links to them at the bottom of the page.

If you found this interesting and want to read more, I would greatly appreciate it if you could bookmark this story.

Your support is very important to me, so please, thank you.